Apple Sauce

If you have never had homemade applesauce, my heart goes out to you (and your tastebuds). The store's version of applesauce is a pitiful replica of the real thing. You should give it a try. It's easy.

Preheat oven to 350.  Wash, core, and slice apples. No need to peel.

Place apples in roasting pan with 1/2 c water. Put lid on and bake until soft.

Put the apples through a food mill. Don't worry about the skins. Depending on the variety of apple, some skins will cook down and puree with the apple. Other varieties will not and the skins will clump together. Remove skins and feed to your chickens.

Once puree'd, put the apple sauce back into the roasting pan. Taste it. If you want, you can add sugar and spices to taste. I add cinnamon but never sugar. I find that nature makes apples sweet enough. Depending on the desired thickness, you may want to add a bit more water. Heat applesauce back up until just bubbling. Remove from oven. Eat hot, warm, or cold.

If you plan on canning applesauce, prepare your canning jars and water bath while the apples are baking. Place hot applesauce in jars. Process 20 minutes. 4 apples =  1 pint